It was a merciless attack in a part of the world not immediately associated with Islamic extremism. But what was behind the Easter attacks in Sri Lanka that killed more than 300 people at churches and hotels in the island nation, and why did the government fail to stop it despite early warnings?
Getting images and news out to the world was a monumental task, but one that AP reporters, photographers and videojournalists took on with tremendous skill and dedication.
The initial reporting came from the Colombo-based team of reporters Krishan Francis and Bharatha Mallawarachi and photographer Eranga Jayawardena. They were backed by correspondent Emily Schmall in Delhi, who would soon join them to coordinate text coverage and help cut through the many unverified reports swirling around.
Local stringer Jay Palipane shot the first video before tapping contacts to ensure access to footage from local broadcasters. Bangkok-based Sri Lankan photographer Gemunu Amarasinghe flew in first and would soon be joined by reinforcements who successfully pressed embassies across Asia and the Middle East for emergency journalist visas.
Delhi-based videojournalists Shonal Ganguly and Rishabh Jain joined Palipane in providing hours upon hours of live coverage, including a haunting and live walkthrough of one stricken church shot by Ganguly before competitors even arrived.
AP was also alone in providing live coverage of an interview with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, conducted by Schmall, breaking the news that more suspects were still at large. Schmall also reported on a woman who was left widowed and childless by the bombings.
The scores of still images that moved were just as compelling, including a moving photo essay from one of the attack sites by Delhi-based photographer Manish Swarup and intimate moments of grief by mourning relatives shot by Amarasinghe.
Anusha Kumari, center, weeps during a mass burial on April 24, 2019, for her husband, two children, sister-in-law and two nieces, all victims of the Easter Sunday bomb attacks, in Negombo, Sri Lanka.
AP Photo / Gemunu Amarasinghe
Blood is spattered on the wall and on a statue of Jesus Christ at St. Sebastian's Church after a suicide bombing in Negombo, north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 21, 2019.
AP Photo
A Sri Lankan woman living near St. Anthony’s shrine runs for safety with her infant after police found explosive devices in a parked vehicle in Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 22, 2019, one day after a series of Easter Sunday suicide bombings.
AP Photo / Eranga Jayawardena
Lalitha, center, weeps over the coffin of 12-year-old Sneha Savindi, a victim of the Easter Sunday bombing at St. Sebastian Church, at the family’s home in Negombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, April 22, 2019.
AP Photo / Gemunu Amarasinghe
Relatives weep beside the coffin of 12-year-old Sneha Savindi, a victim of the Easter Sunday bombing at St. Sebastian Church, at the family’s home in Negombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, April 22, 2019.
AP Photo / Gemunu Amarasinghe
A bird flies on April 25, 2019, over St. Sebastian’s Church where a suicide bomber blew himself up on Easter Sunday in Negombo, north of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Nearly a week later, the smell of death was still everywhere, though the bodies were long gone.
AP Photo / Manish Swarup
Relatives of Sri Lankan couple Rohan Marselas Wimanna and Mary Noman Shanthi, who were killed in the Easter Sunday suicide bomb blasts, pray at the family’s residence on the seventh day of mourning in Negombo, north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 28, 2019. Sri Lanka’s Catholics celebrated Sunday Mass in their homes by a televised broadcast as churches across the island nation shut over fears of militant attacks.
AP Photo / Manish Swarup
Harshani Sriyani weeps over the body of her daughter who was killed in the Easter Sunday bombings in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, April 23, 2019.
AP Photo / Eranga Jayawardena
Anoma Damayanthi, a Buddhist factory worker, weeps as she talks about her 25-year-old daughter, married into a Christian family, who was seriously injured in the Easter Sunday blast at St. Anthony’s Church, at her residence in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, April 25, 2019.
AP Photo / Eranga Jayawardena
Victims’ footwear and personal belongings are placed close to the scene of the Easter Sunday suicide bombing at St. Sebastian Church in Negombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, April 22, 2019.
AP Photo / Gemunu Amarasinghe
A Sri Lankan Army soldier stands guard in front St. Anthony’s Church in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, April 26, 2019. Priests allowed journalists inside St. Anthony’s Church in Sri Lanka for the first time since it was targeted in a series of Easter Sunday suicide bombings that left hundreds dead. Broken glass littered the sanctuary’s damaged pews and blood stained the floor. Shoes left by panicked worshippers remained in the darkened church, and broken bottles of holy water lay on the floor.
AP Photo / Manish Swarup
Other highlights included coverage of a raid on militants and an Only on AP story about the first post-attack church service by Gulf News Director Jon Gambrell. Seoul Chief of Bureau Foster Klug examined the little-known local terror cell behind the attack.
Play was tremendous, with the story dominating video metrics for several days as the world remained fixated on the continuously developing story. Sri Lanka text pieces were collectively the fourth most popular story on APNews in April, with very strong play even when compared to other major stories. AP photos were widely used, including by The New York Times and The Washington Post.
For their outstanding work in the face of stiff challenges, the team of Francis, Mallawarachi, Jayawardena, Palipane, Schmall, Ganguly, Jain, Amarasinghe, Gambrell, Swarup and Klug wins this week’s Best of the AP.